A Different Sort of Battlefield
by AllPunsIntended
Summary: Percy and Annabeth. Best friends, or more? They've fought for their lives on several occasions, and now they're fighting again. But this time, they aren't on the same side.
1. Chapter 1

_Clang._Our blades clashed, sparks flying at the impact. I quickly performed the disarming maneuver that I had learned approximately four years ago. It worked well. The other camper's blade was knocked out of his hands before he had time to react, and clattered to the ground.

"Good, Percy. Does anyone else want to challenge him?" asked Chiron.

Challenge him. I liked the sound of that. It made me sound better a swordsman than I actually was. Believe me, I wasn't the best sword fighter at Camp Half Blood. So many others were so much more skilled than me. But today, I got to duel a lot of kids from the Aphrodite cabin, so it made me look good. (No offense to Aphrodite's kids, of course. They're just better at looking at themselves than fighting.)

"I'll challenge him."

A girl with silky blonde hair and startling gray eyes stood up. Annabeth. She had her hair down, and she was wearing her favorite owl earrings. Like everyone else at camp, she wore on a bright orange tee with the words 'Camp Half Blood' printed on it in bold, black letters. I don't know why I was taking in Annabeth's appearance. I snapped out of it as she strode up to the ring.

She was smirking. "You planning to win, Seaweed Brain?" I raised an eyebrow at her question.

"Well, yeah." I replied. Smooth, Percy. Real smooth.

"Well you know what? Change of plans." Her eyes glinted with mischief, and I found myself staring into them, thoughts no longer coherent as a they swirled in my mind.

"Wow, I'm scared." I shot back sarcastically, managing to pull myself together.

"You should be." She said confidently.

"Hey!" Someone shouted from the crowd of campers. "I know you guys love talking to each other, but you better start fighting. We're not getting any younger."

I frowned. Who was this guy? He sure had a lot of nerve, I thought, scowling at the crowd. But I didn't really have time to figure out.

"Get on your lines," said Chiron. "On your mark... get set... DUEL!"

We began to battle. Annabeth blocked every move of mine with a swift flick of her wrist. I decided to fake going left and leapt in the other direction. She fell for the ruse, but only for a moment. She spun around and swung her sword. It missed me by an inch, my face feeling the wind as the sword swished by me. My face turned a light shade of red as I flushed with in embarrassment.. She was right in front of me. Her face was just a millimeter away from mine. The breeze was tousling her golden hair. The sunlight made her eyes sparkle. Or maybe her eyes were always like that. For some strange reason, I was noting down everything about her. Again. All in the speed of the battle. I could've stood there forever, staring at her, but then I would be sliced up by the blade of Annabeth's sword. Didn't sound too fun. So I v-stepped away.

She backed up, obviously formulating another plan. Athena always had a plan, like she always said. But I didn't want to give her the chance to contemplate on how to beat me. I lunged forward, thinking that I was definitely going to win. Boy, was I wrong.

As I jumped forward, I stepped on my shoelace. Great. I forgot to tie my shoes. How come it only affects me _now?_ You know, when I'm about to _win._Okay. So I was going to lose. Big deal. I could always have a rematch. But it was worse than that.

I stumbled, tripped and lost my balance. And then...

I fell. But the most embarrassing part?

I fell on Annabeth.

Fantastic, I thought dryly as we went crashing down.

As I went down, I instinctively put out my hands. But they ended up going around Annabeth. Way to make situations better, Percy, I thought, groaning inwardly. We landed down on the grass. Her gray eyes were as large as dinner plates. Her cheeks were bright pink, and her face was directly below mine. I could've kissed her if I wanted to.

Whoa. That was a weird thought.

As if she'd read my mind, she narrowed her eyes and hissed, "Don't even think about it."

"I wasn't planning to." I shot back. That was a lie. Or... maybe it... wasn't?

We got up and dusted ourselves off awkwardly, avoiding each other's gazes. Chiron declared our little duel a draw. And then he winked at me. The campers were snickering and whistling, causing my face to heat up in embarrassment... again. Clarisse blew a mock kiss at me. I groaned. Great. Just great.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: The last chapter was the first one, so I didn't really make it all... um, romantic-y. (Romantic-y?) But this one represents it's genre a bit **

**more. Story high still going, by the way ;D . **

**Disclaimer: I did not create Percy Jackson, and I didn't write the Percy Jackson books. Rick Riordan did, not me. So just remember that Percy Jackson is not my character, and that the books are not mine. Hooray. **

After what had occurred earlier this morning, I didn't think I could go anywhere at camp without receiving a smirk or sneer of some sort. And unfortunately, for once, I was right.

Everywhere I went, three always seemed to be some kid who felt the need to make a face, or wink, or even whistle. Mostly though, it was the guys who acted immaturely. The girls just arched their eyebrows and kept their distances when I walked by, as if I was going to stumble over something and end up on them next.

However, a select few girls _did _tease me- if anything, they jeered at me the _most._ Now, who would do something like that, who would pick on Percy for entertainment? Yeah. You're right. The Ares girls.

I could always count on Clarisse and her idiot half-sisters to be there with Annabeth and me, wherever we went. Those jerks would spend most of their time embarrassing me in one way or the other, like hanging some Misltetoe over our heads with a fishing rod, (even though it was only the beginning of August,) or reminding me to tie my shoes.

Luckily, it was time for lunch, and Ares' daughters had to stop their prank midway. They grumbled and trudged away, swearing menacingly that they would be back. I watched them lumber towards the Pavillion and mumbled, "Good bye, and good riddance." Annabeth seemed to be thinking the same thought.

I turned to face her, and I realized that I couldn't. I couldn't meet her eyes; if I did, I would melt. I would be caught in a reverie, lost in my thoughts. Time would freeze. Through the corner of my eye, I could see her staring at me. Her head was slightly cocked to one side, as if she was trying to read my mind. I blushed. _Oh Gods, Percy. Seriously, you can't avoid her gaze forever. And be a dude; stop blushing. _

I swallowed hard. "So..."

"So..." Complete awkwardness.

"We better get going," I managed. "Um, we're going to be late for lunch." I muttered as I hastily began to hurry away.

"Percy, wait." Annabeth called. I gulped.

"Uh, yeah?" I asked, partly anxious, and partly confused.

She lowered her eyes. "Remember this morning," she started. Annabeth tucked her hair behind her ears hurriedly, like she did when she was nervous. "When I said, 'Don't even think about it'?"

"Yeah..." Where was she going with this?

"And you said that you weren't planning on doing it? Were you just saying that or, were you really about to... you know..."

Oh, no. Now I knew exactly what she was talking about. She wanted to know whether I was going to kiss her or not, this morning.

I had absolutely no idea what to say. If I said yes, she would beat me up, and our friendship would be ruined. If I said no, then she might not be so happy. Man, this was hard... _What about the truth? _a little voice asked in my head. Honestly, I didn't know. The thought had crossed my mind, I just wasn't sure if I was going to or not. But I couldn't tell her that...

So I decided to play it safe. If I said no, she wouldn't beat me up, and we could still be friends. I was pretty sure of that.

"No, I wasn't," I fibbed.

She was silent for a few moments. "Then how did you know what I was talking about when I asked you this morning? When I said, 'Don't even think about it.' I never explicitly explained what I meant when I spoke to you. The thought of... you know... must've crossed your mind... at least once?"

Darn. I hadn't thought about that. How did I know what she meant before? Because I had been thinking about it too. But I couldn't say that, either.

"Look, I don't know about all that, Annabeth. All I know is that I wasn't going to. End of story." Er... that might've come out harsher than I wanted it to.

She looked at the ground. Again with the silence! It was killing me, not knowing what she was thinking. I peered at her face. Was that... a flicker of disappointment, in her eyes? No, it couldn't be. She glanced back up at me.

"Phew. I was hoping you were going to say that. Good. Well, let's get going to lunch." Annabeth's enthusiasm sounded fake, and strained. However, I wasn't about to bring that up. It would just lead to more trouble...

"Yeah, I would never want to kiss you," I said, chuckling nervously. Wait. Wait a second, that's not what I meant.

Her fake enthusiasm seemed to evaporate. She glared at me with those gray eyes.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know it was such a horrible idea!"

She was brisk walking, and she was way ahead of me now.

"No, that's not what I meant! It's just that it doesn't sound so appealing. You know, me and you," No, that wasn't right, either.

"Excuse me? So- hypothetically speaking, of course- you wouldn't kiss me because you think you're too good for me?"

"NO! No, I never said that," I protested.

"But you meant it," she growled.

We were right in front of the Pavillion, where everyone could see us arguing.

"Well-"

All of a sudden, Annabeth brought her hand across my face. Whiplash. Everyone was staring at us now, and not one person spoke. Without a single word, Annabeth stormed to the Athena lunch table. The eyes of all the other campers followed her, and then focused on me. I stood there, my face reddening; partly because of anger, partly because of everyone watching me, and partly because the my face stung from the slap.

Crap. What just happened?

**A/N: Yeah, Percy just pretty much blew it. He's kinda slow sometimes. **

**So anyway, if you want to read the next chapter, REVIEW! When I get 10 reviews, I'll update. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry that I'm a bit late in updating guys, I was just being a bit lazy.**

**I went to the beach a couple days ago. The weather was so awesome. Too bad school starts soon. **

**And by soon, I mean tomorrow. Ew. I'm not ready for homework, and tests, and waking up early. D: Goodbye, summer of 2010. **

**But, enough of my babbling. **

**Disclaimer: Percy Jackson is not mine. And I am not Rick Riordan. So. Yup. **

_Annabeth's POV:_

I hate him. I hate him so much. I sighed deeply. Suddenly, the cabin door creaked open. I peered over the edge of the door to see who it was.

"Hey, Annabeth."

My heart leapt. Percy?

A lanky boy with dirty blonde hair stood at the doorway, grinning. Oh. It was Andrew Kent, a kid from the Apollo cabin.

"Archery started about four minutes ago. They sent me here to call you," he said. Whoops. I totally forgot about archery this afternoon.

"Oh, sorry. It slipped out of my mind," I confessed.

"Something slipped out of YOUR mind?" he questioned, clearly surprised. "Annabeth, nothing ever slips out of your mind. You're usually too organized and on top of things to let something like that happen."

"Yeah, well, today it's a bit different," I replied, smiling. "I've been thinking about a lot lately."

"Let me guess, it has something to do with Percy, right?" he asked teasingly. I felt my face get hot.

"What? No, I haven't been thinking about Percy," I scoffed, avoiding his eyes. What? How did he know?

"Please, Annabeth. My dad's the god of prophecy. I know things. At least, I can guess." I opened my mouth to protest, but thought better of it. I wasn't fooling anyone.  
"Okay... yeah... I was. But that doesn't mean I like him or  
anything..."

"Yeah, sure." he chuckled. "Come on, we're both really late for class now,"  
"Coming," I replied quietly. This was hopeless. I was always going to try to make the first move, and Percy was always going to be thick headed, (as usual), and not notice. I wish I could force him into understanding, somehow... Then, all of a sudden, an idea struck me,  
like lightning.

"Andrew! Hey, do you think you could do me a favor?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Depends. What kind of favor?"

"Well... it's about Percy..." I blushed.

He grinned and said, "I knew you two had something going on,"

I groaned.

"Okay, okay, I was just messing with you. What do I have to do?"

"I'll tell you in a while."

"Why not now?"

"Because if we don't leave for archery right now, we're dead."

We both busted out through the door, but he went left, and I went right. Whoops. Wrong way. I wasn't thinking clearly. I hurried off to class, positive that my plan would work. It had to.  
After training ended, I walked over to Andrew. "Are you ready to tell me what this favor of yours it?" he inquired.

"Yup. It's simple; I need you to help me make Percy jealous. Of us." I stated confidently. His cheeks went from tan to red. Oh. Never realized how peculiar my request sounded. It sure didn't sound odd in my head.  
"Um, so, your plan is basically to pretend we're together?" He mumbled, clearly embarrassed. "Well, yeah. Wait, you don't have a girlfriend or anything, do you?" I asked. That could be a problem. A huge problem.  
"No, no, it's just that... I thought your favor would be something... you know, a bit different." We stood there in awkward silence for a few long seconds.

"So..." I began. It was just too strange and delicate of a moment to say or do anything.

"HEY, THERE'S PERCY!" I suddenly exclaimed, breaking the silence. "Quick! Uh, hold my hand!" I whispered. I was reddening by the second, but this was the first step to the whole scheme; to make Percy aware. Andrew did as I instructed, although his cheeks were more flushed than mine. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Percy exiting his cabin. He kept walking casually, until he saw us. He stopped dead in his tracks, peering closer and rubbing his eyes, probably to make sure that what he was seeing was real. Percy's  
eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. I bit my lip to keep from smiling.  
Score one for Annabeth.

_Percy's POV:_

No. Way. This can't be happening. Was that... was that Annabeth? Holding hands? With... I focused on the boy next to her. Andrew Kent? Oh my gods. Why? And more importantly, why... Andrew? There wasn't really anything special about him. Suddenly, I felt furious. I wanted to kick something, or someone, preferably Andrew Kent.

Why? I don't know. But the feeling was similar to how reacted when Annabeth would go on about Luke.

I stomped into the field. Well, I thought. I might as well get over it. I always paired up with Annabeth for capture the flag, anyway. I could ask her about that whole scene with Kent in the chariot. Besides, we had some new tactics and weapons that I was looking forward to use.

I strode over to Annabeth as she fitted her red-plumed helmet onto her head. "Okay, so do you want to go with the regular plan, or are we executing the newer one?" I questioned, assuming that we were still working together.

Annabeth spun around.

"Oh, it's you," she commented. "I'd love to try the newer plan, but I partnered up with Andrew. Sorry." I was shocked. This wasn't the Annabeth I knew. How could she turn her back on me? We always teamed up for capture the flag! What was going on?

_Annabeth's POV:_

I would've been proud of myself for being so convincing, but surprisingly, I wasn't. Especially not after how Percy looked when I told him. His brow furrowed and his sea green eyes were glaring daggers into my own gray ones. But only for a second. His fury was quickly replaced by hurt. He was just... let down. And _I_ was the one who let him down. Guilt flooded my head. Oh... I acted so awfully to him... I even slapped the poor kid! And he _still_ wanted to work with me for capture the flag. Maybe this was getting out of hand...

"Then who am _I _supposed to work with?" he demanded, shattering my reverie.

"I don't know," I responded hesitantly. I couldn't cause him any more pain. It would just be ... malicious, on my part.

_ But you were never causing him pain, Annabeth, _a cruel voice hissed in my mind. _All you said was that you were working with someone else. You have the freedom to do that. It's not your fault that he's so... sensitive. _No, I answered. It's much more that. He was counting on me, and I wasn't there for him. _So what? _It purred. SO WHAT? I'm making Percy suffer! And for what? For him to like me? It definitely wasn't working. I had to stop thi-

"Okay, Annabeth. Whatever."

"Percy, wait! Please!"

"Sorry that I didn't get the hint earlier. Good. Bye."

I sighed. I wasn't exactly sure what I had done just now, but I think I just lost my best friend.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay guys, I have a lot of apologizing to do. I'm so sorry for not updating; that was just pure procrastination. **

**I was being lazy.**

**It was all my fault.**

*** sheepish grin * Sorry. **

**But here it is now! Chapter four!**

**Uh, ta-da!**

**DISCLAIMER: Percy Jackson is not mine, blah, I'm not Rick Riordan, blah. **

_Percy's POV: _Crap. I. Am. So. Mad. She doesn't want to be friends? FINE. Let it be that way. I can't believe I could've been so stupid. All those precious minutes. Sitting in my cabin, brooding. Silently praying that she would tell me how she felt. If she felt anything, that is. Which she didn't. During my first year at camp, I was attacked by a hellhound. I felt the searing pain, as it tore through my body. I was basically being ripped apart.

Ripped apart.  
That's how I felt right now...  
Isn't today the best?

_Andrew's POV: _I shouldn't have agreed to Annabeth's little favor. I knew it was trouble from the moment she requested it. I was sure of the fact that Percy hated me. I could almost feel the heat of the laser beams that were shooting out of Percy's eyes yesterday. I sighed and shook my head.

Oh... why did I go along with Annabeth's plan?

_Annabeth's POV: _Idiot. Dork. Moron. Dolt. Stupid. Yes. That was what I was. A stupid, stupid girl. I mumbled a string of profanity at myself and trudged out to the field for today's activity, shutting the door behind me. Whatever Chiron had called us for better be good, I thought grumpily. Because I was in absolutely no mood to chat.

_Percy's POV: _Great. Activities time. Normally, I would be more cheerful, but today, a positive attitude was something I had never heard of.

All I could think about was Annabeth...  
And how frustrated she was making me feel.

_Chiron's POV: _I smiled and looked over my clipboard. As I finished my head count, I noticed that someone was missing. Actually, two people. Hm? Everyone usually loves activities... what happened today? I was about to send a camper to check all the cabins for the missing half-bloods, but it wasn't necessary. Two miniature figures were growing larger as they came into our view.

One was a boy... ah. It was Percy.

And the other? Annabeth. As they neared our group, I noticed that neither of them were walking casually- unless you count dragging your feet, stomping and pouting casual. Ah, well, it was probably nothing, I thought dismissively. "Attention everyone!" I called. The group quieted down instantly. (I loved this bunch of campers in particular, they were so obedient.)

"Instead of doing an activity today," everyone groaned. I knew everyone always looked forward to the activities. "We will plan for something new that we're doing this year at camp; a camp dance. Chatter immediately rose among the kids. My eyes swept the crowd out of curiosity, wondering how the young godlings felt about a dance. Many girls were babbling excitedly, grinning. Other girls were nervously biting their lips or nails. As for the boys...

"Oh, great." Sarcasm.

"A dance? Pshh, yeah, that sounds REALLY FUN." More sarcasm.

"I'd rather just play capture the flag," Honest opinion, finally.

"OOH, THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT," A young man squealing cheerfully? I'd never seen that before... The other boys eyed that one child, clearly quite, uh, how do the kids say it these days? Oh, right; freaked out.

Anyway, I sat quietly for another minute or two to let the idea sink in, when I realized that neither Percy nor Annabeth were participating in the discussions. Both had their heads buried in their hands while groaning. I wonder why...

_Annabeth's POV: _No! Not a dance! I don't even have someone to go with! This is awful, I

_Percy's POV: _...Why me?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**

**Percabeth numero five is here! I made it pretty long to make up****for the last chapter that was way too short. I mean, after all that****waiting that I put you guys through, I made chapter four the shortest****one! I'm such a jerk! :P****  
****So enjoy!****  
****OH. ONE MORE THING. Let me just say this: I LOVE MY FANS SO MUCH. I****WOULD NOT BE WRITING WITHOUT THEM. A special thanks to Abigail Rosalie****Black, who motivated me to start the fifth chapter right away. YOU****  
****GUYS ARE AWESOME! :D 3****  
****Disclaimer: I ain't Rick Riordan. So don't y'all be thinkin' that I****own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. 'Cause I don't! (Sorry 'bout the****accent. It was my random streak of weirdness. Bear with me.)**  
Chiron's POV:

"Okay everyone, settle down," I said patiently. No response. "Kids, please, I need your attention." Again, nothing. I sighed, drumming my fingers on my clipboard, slightly vexed at the lack of respect from my students.  
Maybe it was my fault. I couldn't always be optimistic and cheerful. Sometimes, being strict was the only way to get the job done. And being strict was exactly what I was going to do. "The next person who talks," I bellowed rather sternly, "will not be able to attend the dance. And will be spending the lovely, enchanted evening in the  
kitchen, scrubbing the plates." The room suddenly quieted.  
I could've heard a pin drop- that was how silent it was. Wow,impressive. Maybe I should be strict more often... Chiron! a voice chided in my mind. Focus, will you? Oh, right.  
"Now, demigods, I need you all to understand something: in order to hold a dance, we need to work hard. Proper planning and effort are two crucial factors essential for a party. So, the other counselors and I have decided to assign partners and jobs to each and every one of you."  
Groans. "Don't worry, it'll be fun. We've given you all partners who you are familiar and friendly with. Okay, I will now start reading the pairs and their assigned jobs. Please go stand in that corner when you have received your necessary information." I rifled through the stack of papers on my board, searching for the stapled packet of partners.  
Where was it? Ah, here we are.  
"I will start now, so pay close attention. I will not be repeating myself. Ready? Alright... First pair: Silena Beauregard and Katrina DeCarta."  
Both girls glanced at each other and grinned.  
"Second pair... uh, Jerry Kendall and Nathan Green."  
The bulky half-brothers slapped each other high five. I sighed and read the next name. Well... this was going to take quite some time.

Percy's POV:

Maybe I could just help with the party planning, and not attend the dance... even though there probably wouldn't be a dance at Camp Half Blood for another century... Well, I didn't have anyone to go with anyway, so what did it matter?  
I made random little patterns in the dirt with a stick, the drone of Chiron in the background. I peeled the strands off of several pieces of grass, (seven, to be exact.) I tied and untied my shoes repeatedly.  
Wow! This was taking longer than I expected! I don't really care about who I'm partnered with, just inform me already! Well, I corrected myself. I wouldn't mind being partnered with anyone, except...except...  
"With the chore of baking cookies, here is pair number twenty seven: Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase. I'm sure you'll be happy about this Percy," Chiron joked. A few kids chuckled, but I was too stunned to care.  
I almost felt my jaw hit the floor. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. This could not be happening. It was... it was just plain unfair! This had to be, like, a foul, in the book of life. Or something. I mean, could the events be less in my favor? The only thought my brain could manage to process was...Whoever you are, trying to ruin my life?  
Congrats, man. You just succeeded.

Annabeth's POV:

I felt my breath catch, because this could be it. This could be my only chance. My only chance to win my best friend back.  
Better not blow this, Wise Girl.

Percy's POV:

Well, the only thing I could do now was schedule a time with... her... to bake cookies. I took lengthy strides over to... her, just wanting to get this over with.  
"When do you want to meet for the cookies?" I questioned, trying not to sound interested. "Or, would you rather make pastries with Andrew Kent?" I studied her expression with cold amusement.  
Yes, Annabeth. I just went there.

Annabeth's POV:

Wow. Attitude. Thanks, pal. "Oh, come on, you can't possibly be mad, Perce-"

"Save it, and just give me an answer as to when you want to work. And... and don't call me 'Perce'."

"Okay, fine. So, then maybe we could start... this evening?" He rolled his eyes. His deep…sea green...amazing...oh, what were we talking about? Oh, right. Percy's response.  
"Okay, then I'll meet you in the kitchen at seven, and we can be done with this." He turned on his heel and strutted away.  
I smiled slightly, another plan forming in my head. And this was going to be a good one.

**A/N: **

**I know what you're thinking: this was so short! But don't worry,****because I'm gonna have the nest chapter posted up in no time. See, I****originally meant for it to be one chapter, but then I decided that I****split it up a bit. So part two will be published shortly!****  
****Also.****  
****REVIEW.****  
****10 reviews, and I'll update.****  
****So review! Unless you wanna be kept in suspense. :D****  
****KayBye.**


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